Plastic molding device



April 9, 1929. J, w, HENRy 1,109,421

PLASTIC MOLDING DVICE i Filed Dec. l5, 1927 John W.

JJM?- Patented Apr.I .9, 1929.

UNITED sTATEs 1,708,421 PATENT OFFICE.

.ToIIN W. HENRY, or oRAWFoRDsvI'LLE, INDIANA. i

PLASTIC HOLDING DEVICE.

Application led December 15, 1927. Serial No. 240,289.

My invention relates to plastic molding devices in general, and moredirectly to molding machines for the manufacture .of concrete blocks,bricks or tile having medial cores or ducts, and has for one principalobject the molding of such blocks by the use of compressed air appliedthrough said cores or ducts. A further object is .to mold such blocksquickly and eiiciently by `compresslng the concrete outwardly from saidcores or ducts. A further object is to provide means for quickly andeasily filling the molds around and between the cores before compressingit in the mold. Another object 1s to rigidly secure the compressingelement at its end, and to provide means for readily interchanging saidelements when desired. A further object is to provide means for quicklyremoving the compressing element fromthe mold, and to maintain the comression device in definite formation both within and without the mold.

With these and other objects in view, my

invention consists essentially of the mechar nism and arrangementsdesignated in the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred form of thedevice, and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout, andin which Figure 1 illustrates a general plan view in horizontal sectionthrough a mold with the device in operative position: Figure 2 is an endelevation in section on line B-B of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a side elevationof the device in section on line A-A of Fig. 1; Figure 4is an endelevationon line G-C of Fig. 3; and Figure 5 is an alternative ar-Vmgement of the clamping device shown in iig. 3.

With further reference to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 4 designatethe end plates of the mold, and 2 shows the side walls thereto. The endplates 1 and 4 have a plurality of aligned openings 3 and 3therethrough, to register with a plurality of shaped arcuate projections6-6 integrally formed on a head member 5, said member 5 being providedwith a plurality of air ducts 8 leading to the various core formingtubes, and receiving air under pressure from an intake opening 9. Thehead 5 is provided wlth abutments 7 to engage the end plate 1, and isfitted at each outlet with a clamping member 10 secured thereto b screws11, the member 10 being provide with abutments 7 and arcuate projections6 to. align with and supplement abutments 7 and projections 6 on thehead 5, the project-ions (5' and 6 forfning a closed arcuate recess 12at each outlet of head 5. The recess 12 is provided with an annularprojection 13 registering with a similar or corresponding groove 15 inthe periphery of an end plate 14 positioned within the recess 12, plate14 having an opening 16 to align with duct 8 and may be secured to head5 by.a nipple or tube 17 if desired. A similar .plate 21, vhaving anannular groove 23is opposed to plate 14 within opening 3 in end 4, andis attached thereto and rigidly s aced therefrom by a plurality of rods18 xedlyvsecured to plate 14, as at 19, and to plate 21,` as at 22. Asplit, or two piece, clamping head 24, with an annular' projection 25 toregister with groove 23, is shaped to fit opening 3', the two parts ofthe head being conjoined as by screws 26. Surrounding rods 18 and plates14 and 21, a rectilinear section of flexible and expansible tubing 20 isxedly secured upon said plates 14 and 21 by the clamping head 24 and themembers 8 and 10 through the instrumentality of the annular grooves 15and 23 and the projections 13 and 25. As an alternative construction,the relation of the grooves and projections may be reversed, as at 29and 30, and the end of tube 20 may be further clamped, as at 28, ifdesired, while the clamping members 5 and 8, or the split head 24 may bemaintained in clamped position as by a band 27 forced thereon.

In practice, it is found that the plurality of rods 18,` retain the headmembers in definite and fixed position much more securely than will asingle rod, and makes a better closure for the openings in the endplates of the mold, besides being faster to operate. They also retainthe flexible tube in a vertically oval cross-section when deflated, thusproviding a wider space between the tubes, and between the tubes and thesides ofthe mold, making it easier and quicker to fill and tamp the moldand to force the concrete beneath the tubes, than when a single rod isemployed. The split, or two piece, clamping heads secure the flexibletube much more rmly upon the end plates 14and 21, and make it quickerand easier to replace or repair a tube than when solid clamping devicesare employed. In using the device in practice, it is requisite to merelyposition the device in the openings in the ends of the mold box, fillthe mold with the necessary amount of concrete, inflate the tubes withair from any available source, deflate the tubes when ready, withdrawthem longitudinally from the mold, and remove the block from the moldwhen suiicient/ly set or hardened.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire toprotect by these Letters Patent is 1. Ina concrete block forming machinehaving a mold box thereon, a lurality of openings in opposite ends ofsai box, a plurality of core4 forming units insertable through saidopenings, said units Abeing interconnected by a common head, air ductswithin said head-radiatin from a common intake and registering wit saidcore forming units, a plurality of removable clamping segments to securesaid core forming` members upon said common head, end plates positionedwithin saidl core forming -units having indentures toposition saidplates within said head and said clamping segments, and plural means formaintaining said end plates in fixed parallelism and said core formingmembers, in determined conformation while in deflated condition withinor without said mold box.

2. An expansible core forming unit for a plastic block forming machine,consisting of a rectilinear section of expansible and flexible tubing,an end plate in each end of said tubing, an annular recess around eachof said end lates, a split clamping head surrounding eac 1 of said endplates, an annular projection on each of said heads to register with theannular-recess in said end plates, means for clamping said heads' uponsaid tubing and said end plates, an air duct through one of said headsand said end plate adjacent thereto, and means for inlating anddeflating said tubing through said air duct.

3. An expansible core forming member for a block forming machine, saidmember consisting of a plurality of flexible and expansible tubingsections, plates within the ends of said sections to essentially closesaid ends, a two piece clamp device surrounding one end of each tubingsection, an annular groove on each of said end plates,'an annularprojection on each of said clamp devices exteriorly of said tubing toengage its `corresponding groove, means for compressing said clampdevices fixedly upon their corresponding end plates, said clamp devicesforming closures for the o enings which position one end of said corelorming sections, divergent air ducts from a common i intake throughsaid head member to each tublng section, a pllurality of arcuateprojectlons integral wit said head member, al plurality of arcuateclamping sections to cooperate with said arcuate projections to rigidlysecure an end Aol. said tubing section upon its end plate, said clampingsections and said projections having an internal annular rib to alignwith and fit into the recess in their inclosed end plates, a pluralityof parallel rods within each tubing section fixedly attached to each endplate within said tubing section to maintain said end plates inessential arallelism and in spacedrelation to each ot er and to saidhead member, essentially as described.

4. In a core forming device for a block makin machine, said device havia section ofaexpansible tubing, a plate wit in each end of said tubing,an anular groove circumferentially on each plate, a plurality of rodsconjoining said plates, said rods positioned tomaintain said plates inessential parallelism and to retain said tubing in a flattened orelliptical cross-section when said tubes are deflated, a two piececlamping member compressing said tubing upon one of said grooved plates,a tongue on said clamping members com ressing said tubing withinthe'groove in t e end plate, an air intake head having a recessedprojection to plate forming a closure for an opening in a mold box, andsaid two piece clamping member forming a closure for an opening in theopposite end of the mold box oflsaid block-makingl machine, essentiallyas and for the purpose described.

In Witness whereof, I" have hereunto set my hand November, 1927. Y

JOHN W. HENRY.

ysurround one half of the remaining end of

